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The Middle Three
People → China → Yan Xuan (宣炎)

People · China

Yan Xuan (宣炎)

3×3 · top 5.4% of 284,439 all-time · competing since August 2009 · 2009XUAN03

Yan Xuan (宣炎) has been competing for 17 years. His best event is the 3×3: a personal-best single of 9.23, set at Beijing Open 2017, puts him in the top 5.4% of the 284,439 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 2,095th in China. Until February 2008, no official 3×3 solve in the world had been that fast. Across 33 competitions since August 2009, he has put 725 official solves on the record across 17 events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 12% around a typical one, steadier than 72% of the 35,811 competitors with ten or more counted rounds. His 3×3 best has come down from 15.43 in August 2009 to 9.23, a 40% improvement. Yan has entered 33 competitions, more competitions than 98% of everyone who has ever competed.

3×3
best event — top 5.4% of 284,439 all-time
9.23
signature single · Beijing Open 2017
725
official solves on the record
12%
solve-to-solve spread · steadier than 72% of the field

Standing, event by event

vs everyone ever ranked
EventPB singlePB averageAll-time standingChina
3×39.2312.01
top 5.4%2,095 / 28,153
3×3 Fewest Moves26 moves28.00
top 6.2%60 / 1,058
Pyraminx4.4711.31
top 10.1%1,195 / 10,224
3×3 one-handed16.1817.62
top 10.6%1,041 / 5,922
2×23.404.49
top 19.0%3,104 / 15,796
5×51:22.881:25.89
top 21.4%1,029 / 2,816
3×3 blindfolded1:26.362:43.98
top 21.8%298 / 1,183
6×62:25.922:42.31
top 23.6%518 / 1,349
7×73:40.983:46.42
top 23.8%476 / 1,261
4×451.4554.57
top 26.5%2,801 / 5,926
Megaminx1:33.771:43.75
top 30.5%914 / 1,678
Square-122.0931.11
top 32.7%552 / 1,362
4×4 blindfolded8:43.77—
early days — 2 solves89 / 149
Clock16.3120.15
top 53.0%1,237 / 1,843
Skewb12.0812.68
top 66.4%3,545 / 5,004
5×5 blindfolded23:13.00—
early days — 1 solve73 / 95
3×3 Multi-Blind3 of 4 cubes · 23:55—
top 75.4%204 / 278

Percentile against all competitors ever ranked in each event, a fairer measure than raw rank, because the pools differ by a factor of ten.

The line so far

Shanghai Weisuo Open 2009: 15.43Beijing Winter 2009: 14.97Hangzhou Open 2010: 14.02Shanghai Winter Cubing Festival 2010: 15.05Henan Open 2010: 13.22Alpha Cube BUAA Open 2010: 14.08Shandong 2010: 13.40Tianjin Open 2010: 11.97Beijing Winter 2011: 19.19Changzhou Spring Festival Open 2011: 13.08Human Rights Day 2011: 14.19BUAA Open 2013: 11.86Shanghai Spring 2017: 10.77Beijing Open 2017: 9.239.2319.199 Aug 200924 Jun 2017

Best single per competition, 3×3. Faster is higher — the axis is the right way up.

The story so far

Competitions

Reading this page: a single is one solve's time · an average is the middle three of five solves, best and worst discarded · a PB is a personal best · a DNF (did not finish) is an attempt with no valid result: a popped piece, an unsolved face, an over-limit memorisation · top X% compares against everyone ever ranked in that event, which is fairer than raw rank because event pools differ tenfold.

The circuit

The people whose scorecards keep turning up next to his.

Next targets

  • A sub-8 3×3 single — 7,931 people have one; it is 1.23 away.
  • A sub-4 Pyraminx single — 9,892 people have one; it is 0.47 away.

Targets move as he improves.